Helicopter crash in Peru kills all 7 aboard

Reuters

LIMA - A helicopter carrying seven people crashed in Peru's Amazon jungle on Monday and all aboard perished, a judicial official said on Monday.

Corpac, Peru's air transport agency, said the helicopter was operated by the local unit of U.S.-based Columbia Helicopters. Columbia is known for its tandem rotor heavy-lift aircraft used in logging and oil exploration work. Columbia's Lima office declined to comment.

Marco Ochoa, the judicial official, said five U.S. citizens and two Peruvians were on the helicopter and that rescue crews were recovering their bodies.

Local media reports said the people on board worked for Petrominerales Ltd, a Canadian-based oil exploration firm focused on Latin America. Petrominerales' Lima office declined to comment.